John Timoney
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John F. Timoney (born c. 1948) is the current (as of 2006) Chief of Police of Miami.
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[edit] Early life
Timoney was born Sean Timoney in Dublin, Ireland. In 1961, at the age of 13, he immigrated to New York City. Timoney grew up in Washington Heights, a heavily Irish neighborhood in uptown Manhattan near Harlem which had been home to such Irish-Americans as George Carlin. Upon graduating from high school, Timoney joined the New York Police Department.
[edit] New York
Starting as a patrol officer, Timoney rapidly rose through the ranks of the NYPD. He became a narcotics specialist, and was promoted to sergeant in 1980. In 1994 he was appointed Chief of Department, the youngest ever to fill that role. He ultimately served as Commissioner Bill Bratton's first deputy, making him the #2 man in the force. In 1996, Bill Bratton left the department due to conflicts with mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Timoney criticized Bratton's replacement, Howard Safir, as a "lightweight," and retired later the same year, having served for a total of 28 years. Afterwards he worked as a consultant to local police forces and various government programs.
[edit] Philadelphia
In March 1998, Philadelphia mayor Ed Rendell appointed Timoney as Philadelphia Police commissioner. Timoney served through the end of 2001. His career marked a turnaround in Philadelphia's increasing homicide rate, but was not without controversy. Many of Timoney's tactics were regarded as questionable, particularly his handling of protests during the 2000 Republican National Convention, which was widely seen as heavy-handed and even unconstitutional, garnering him international attention.
After leaving the Philadelphia police, Timoney returned to consulting and worked for a security firm in New York. He also served as a security adviser for the 2002 World Economic Forum in New York. Although not as heavily protested, his handling of this event also brought him criticism.
[edit] Miami
Timoney did not stay in the private sector for long. He was a candidate for LAPD chief, but was edged out by his former boss Bill Bratton. Instead, Timoney replaced Raul Martinez, a 28-year veteran of the Miami police force whose two and a half years as chief were marked by scandal and 13 federal indictments of officers accused of planting evidence. Timoney took office on January 2, 2003.
Miami was particularly eager to put Timoney in place because of the upcoming Free Trade Area of the Americas summit. Timoney organized an army of 2,500 police officers and turned away buses arriving for protests. Police clashed with protesters in scenes more violent than those at the RNC three years earlier.
[edit] Other details
Timoney is an avid runner who has competed in at least 14 marathons. Although he joined the NYPD straight out of high school, he has since earned a bachelor's degree from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, a master's degree in American history from Fordham University, a master's degree in urban planning from Hunter College, and is a graduate of the Police Management Institute at Columbia University.
Timoney also took a 13-week crash course in Spanish while serving in New York, a skill that gave him credibility in Miami, where he gave half of his inaugural speech in that language.
[edit] Recent controversies
On November 1, 2005, Timoney's son Sean Timoney was arrested in a DEA sting for attempting to buy 400 pounds of marijuana [1]. Timoney has not commented on the case, which is ongoing.
[edit] In pop culture
John Timoney and his controversial policies are the subject of the David Rovics song "Butcher for Hire." In the chorus Rovics calls Timoney a "brutal thug and a dirty liar." [2]
